Pleasant Valley School District is proposing to raise its millage rate from 146 mills to 154 mills, or about 6 percent, according to the district's preliminary budget for the 2013-14 school year.

CHAD SMITH

Pleasant Valley School District is proposing to raise its millage rate from 146 mills to 154 mills, or about 6 percent, according to the district's preliminary budget for the 2013-14 school year.

If this preliminary budget is passed, a person who owns a home assessed at $20,770 would pay $3,202 in taxes, or $169 more than in 2012.

The district is looking into possibly making staff cuts, said Business Manager Susan Famularo.

Appropriations in the 2013-14 preliminary budget are $94.8 million.

The district believes it might have to raise taxes because several of its revenue streams besides real-estate property tax — that's up about $7 million, or 16 percent from the last budget period — have remained flat "due to the current economic condition," Famularo said.

For example, if the economy were up, the district would be collecting more revenue in the form of earned income taxes, realty transfer taxes, delinquent real-estate taxes and investments, such as stocks and bonds. Meanwhile, the district faces higher health insurance and energy costs, contractual costs and retirement contributions, the district said.

The district stressed, though, that the preliminary budget is by no means set in stone. As the year progresses, and the district learns, for example, how much it will be getting in state funding, it will have a better estimate of how much it needs to raise in taxes — if it needs to raise taxes at all.

Last year, the district had proposed a tax increase early in the year, but the final budget had no tax increase.

Many districts in Monroe County have made major cuts to their staff in recent years. Pleasant Valley has been able to avoid making deep staff cuts by relying on attrition for the most part.

The district will deliberate on the 2013-14 budget until June, when it must pass a final budget.

Approval of the preliminary budget is scheduled for a Jan. 24 school board meeting, which begins at 8 p.m.

The budget is available to the public at the district's website at pvbears.org or at the district offices at 2233 Route 115, Suite 100 in Brodheadsville.